Assam Protesters Urge Muhammad Yunus to End Hindu Persecution in Bangladesh

GUWAHATI: On International Human Rights Day, December 10, Lok Jagaran Manch, Assam, organized a major protest at the Guwahati office of the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh.

It was participated in by more than hundred concerned citizens, who intended to bring out the ongoing persecution of Hindus and other religious minorities into the attention of the global community.

During the meet, a strongly-worded memorandum was submitted to Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, criticising the failure of the government to protect minorities and its participation in human rights violations.

The memorandum was replete with severe instances of violence ranging from targeted attacks, killing, looting, arson, and even the ill-treatment of women in minority groups.

It also voiced concern over the arrest of spiritual leaders such as ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, whose detention it called "unjust and undemocratic".

The document underlined systemic issues such as forced dismissals of Hindu employees, lack of legal protection, and the administrative nexus with Islamic extremists, all of which have contributed to a worsening humanitarian crisis for minorities in Bangladesh.

Before submitting the memorandum, a delegation of protesters gathered at Navagraha Kali Mandir premises in Silpukhuri. Eminent intellectuals, social activists, and legal experts discussed the serious position of religious minorities in Bangladesh. Advocate Bijon Mahajan, in his address, urged immediate steps toward the protection of oppressed minorities.

Intellectual Diganta Biswas Sharma criticized Bangladesh and Pakistan for failing to fulfill their undertakings under the Nehru-Liaquat Pact, where rights of minorities were to be safeguarded.

Social activist Kailash Sharma even sought the withdrawal of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Muhammad Yunus, pointing out that he had failed to respond to the persecution of minorities in his country. It comprised marching through the streets of Silpukhuri and holding a sit-in at the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh.

The delegation led by Dhruva Prasad Baishya, Bijon Mahajan, and Diganta Biswas Sharma met the Assistant High Commissioner and personally handed over the memorandum.

The charter demanded an end to violence and discrimination against Hindus and other minorities, the release of unjustly detained persons like Chinmoy Krishna Das, and robust legal protections for minority communities that would be able to ensure dignity and safety.

The memorandum further appealed to the Bangladesh government to protect places of worship and cultural heritage while trying to take action against administrative complicity in violence and extremist ones.

It condemned the silence of the interim government, terming it as a silent approval of atrocities and a failure to deliver on international human rights standards. In conclusion, Lok Jagaran Manch reiterates commitment to supporting the persecuted communities and calls for global accountability in Bangladesh's human rights record.

The protesters demanded that Muhammad Yunus take swift action to restore dignity, safety, and peace for Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh.

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